Thoughts on modding for sandwich mount?

Learning and discussion Custom keyboards
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I have a GB board coming in soon, that Saka68, that I’m pretty excited for. One thing about it that’s kind of unique is that it utilizes a sandwich mount plate, something I’ve seen a couple other times in the hobby, but really not that often. As a stand-alone mounting style, it seems decent. You get what I assume is going to be an even typing experience, similar to gasket or top mount. And from the sound tests I’ve heard on YouTube for the Saka prototype, I like what I hear (very robust and deep sounding)

However there are some cons that I think are safe to assume will be associated with this mounting style. 1 potential one I could foresee is some rattling and unpleasant typing feel between the metal-on-metal contact the plate makes with both sides of the case. This wasn’t prevalent in the few typing tests I heard, but it wouldn’t surprise me if this occurs to a certain extent. The other much more obvious issue (or it could be an asset/feature, depending on the point of view), is that this will have probably one of the most stiff typing experiences compared to any other mounting styles, except for integrated plates, obviously.

So what I’m wondering is, since I couldn’t seem to find any posts related to this topic through googling or on this forum, what are some potential mods that could be made to a sandwich mount board like the Saka to alleviate some of the above issues?

Here’s a couple basic and obvious ones so far:

  • Getting a custom made plate of softer material like POM to add a bit of bottom out softness, and to prevent metal-on-metal contact.
  • Add some sort of super thin material, almost like switch films, at each of the corners to remove metal-on-metal contact and therefore any rattling

I would love to hear thoughts and ideas from other people in the forum :slight_smile:

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The point of sandwich is to secure the plate firmly between the top and bottom pieces, so there should not be any rattle.
This is at least my experience with it…

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That sounds fair, and like I said, I didn’t notice any in the sound tests I heard, just thought it might be a possibility, even if it’s on a very small level. I guess the main thing I’d be trying to solve through modding then is typing softness/flexiness.

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I also have a Saka68 coming eventually. I have several sandwich mount boards and there is no rattling and metal on metal is not an issue. Adding material, like switch films, will not improve anything unless there I room for it like a gasket. There is no room for any material to compress/decompress in a sandwich mount so there is little to do there.

A custom cut plate made of a softer material like POM would help. The plate would need to be designed with flex cuts to actually flex, because sandwich mount makes any material you put into it very stiff.

You could also have a very thin plate cut (1mm) and that would give you .6mm of room for gaskets, soft material, etc. but bear in mind you would see it from the outside of the case so you have to make sure it looks nice!

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Do you think it’s possible for me to make my own flex cuts in this POM plate? If so, what tools do you think would be needed?

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A dremmel

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Ideally, a laser cutter.

If there are any signage shops in your local area, they will likely have one. The machine can do precision cutting, but you do have to provide it with specific measurements.

As for hand tools like a small drill, should be possible but might be messy.